Ricardo Herrera, 13, of Chula Vista competing in the speed and accuracy portion of the 13th annual National Braille Challenge held June 22 in Los Angeles. CREDIT: National Braille Challenge

CHULA VISTA  Ricardo Herrera, 13, of Chula Vista was among 60 visually impaired young people who showcased their Braille acumen during the 13th annual National Braille Challenge last weekend in Los Angeles. The event drew school-age youngsters from 39 states and British Columbia who had qualified at regional competitions earlier in the year.

Blind since infancy, Ricardo is a straight-A student who will enter seventh grade at Rancho del Rey Middle School next month. He has competed at the Braille Challenge’s regional level since fourth grade, taking first place three times.

The National Braille Challenge is the only academic competition for blind students in the country. Similar to the National Spelling Bee, it gives blind students the opportunity to demonstrate a centuries-old skill, as well as to fine tune their Braille transcription, typing and reading skills that are essential to their success in the sighted world.

At the challenge last weekend, competitors were divided into five age groups and tasked with proofreading copy for grammar and Braille mistakes, spelling and reading comprehension. Middle and high schoolers underwent a grueling 50-minute speed and accuracy test in which they listened to an audio passage and had to “Braille it” as fast and as accurately as they could.

Still, the event is more about letting kids socialize with their peers and promoting Braille literacy than winning, event coordinators said.

“We are trying to be myth busters,” said Nancy Niebrugge, director of The Braille Challenge. “Although it started in the 1800s, Braille is not on its way to being obsolete.

“It’s a tactile way of reading and writing and that is still core to learning and literacy. For these kids, Braille is literacy.”

Ricardo has been using the reading and writing system, which relies on a code of raised dots, since kindergarten. He was issued a laptop by the Sweetwater Union High School District to use at home over the summer and he has a new Braille Sense note taker that is similar to a laptop and has a Braille keyboard.

“It’s awesome,” he said.

Ricardo did not win last weekend, but he knew going into the challenge that his competition would be keen.

“This year, I’ve got some pretty tough competition,” he said in an interview before the challenge. “One of them is Cricket (Bidleman). She is from Point Loma. She is the top cheese.”

Cricket did indeed prove worthy of the moniker. She took second place in the Junior Varsity category.